ASI conducts restoration work at Kedarnath Shrine

After the reopening of the Kedarnath Temple in May, a six-member team from Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has been stationed at the site and has started conservation work there.

A team from IIT, Chennai along with ASI visited Shri Kedarnath Temple on 6th-7th June 6-7 and submitted their provisional report based on site inspection of the temple.

A geotechnical team from IIT, Chennai, is presently visiting Kedarnath Shrine from June 17-20 to carry out geophysical testing of the site of the structure through Multi-Channel Analysis of Spectral Waves (MASW) tests.

Once their report is available, the necessary underpinning and repairs to the foundation of the temple, if required, will be carried out, the Ministry of Culture said in a statement.

A high level two-member team comprising senior officials of Ministry of Culture and ASI is now on its way to Kedarnath to make on-the-spot assessment of the restoration work at the Kedarnath Temple.

Major works to be accomplished at the site this year by ASI include packing the stones (matching the original profile and design), wherever missing, providing wooden flooring, cleaning of entire interior of the temple and preserving its stone surfaces and repairs to the temple steps and stone plinth, including resetting wherever necessary and repairs to the roof over Mandapa of the temple.

Stone dressers (from Rajasthan), labourers and carpenters have been engaged by ASI for the conservation work.

A sum of Rs. two crore have been earmarked to ASI for restoration of Shri Kedarnath Temple.